Welcome to www.helloitalytours.com (the “Website”), owned and operated by Hello Italy Tours (“we” or “us”). By using the Website you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. We may modify these Terms of Use from time to time and such modification shall be effective upon being posted to the Website, and your continued use of the Website signals your agreement to be bound by any changes.

Term.
These Terms of Use shall remain in full force and effect for the entire time you use the Website.

Use of Website.
This Website is intended for people at least 18 years of age. If you are under 18 years of age, you may use the Website only with the involvement of a parent or guardian. If you access the Website from outside the United States, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for complying with the laws and regulations of the territory from which you access the Website.

Accounts.
There is no charge to open an account, and in order to use some features of the Website registration will be required. You may cancel your account at any time.

Passwords and Security.
You agree that if you are issued a username and password in connection with your use of the Website, you are responsible for keeping such information secret and confidential. You agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your username and/or password, including, without limitation, all communications and submissions. You are responsible for changing your password if you believe that your password or username has been lost, stolen or might otherwise be misused. You agree to notify us immediately by email to webmanager@helloitalytours.com of any unauthorized use of your username or password or if any other breach of security is suspected by you.

External Links.
The Website may provide links to other websites that are not maintained or controlled by us (“Linked Sites”). The inclusion of any hyperlinks to Linked Sites does not imply our approval or endorsement of those Linked Sites, or content, products or services offered on those Linked Sites. We expressly disclaim any responsibility for the content, copyright compliance, accuracy of the information, and/or the quality of goods or services provided by or advertised on any Linked Sites, and in no event shall we be held responsible or directly or indirectly liable for any loss or damage caused or alleged to have been caused in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services available on any Linked Sites.

Ownership and License.
The Website and the information, computer code, and related functionality appearing, featured or otherwise displayed on the Website are owned by Hello Italy Tours, its affiliates, and their respective licensors or other third parties and protected under the copyright, trademark, and other laws of the United States and other countries and international treaty provisions. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Website in accordance with these Terms of Use and the instructions provided by us on the Website. The material provided on the Website including, without limitation, the information, computer code, and related functionality, are for your personal, private, and non-commercial use only. Except as may be explicitly permitted by the Website, you may not copy, modify, upload, republish, distribute, display, post, license, create derivative works from, or transmit anything you obtain from the Website, including anything you download from the Website, unless you first obtain our written consent. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved to Hello Italy Tours and its affiliates. You may not remove, obscure or otherwise deface any proprietary notices appearing on the Website, or any content or information.

Prices.
All prices are in US dollars and include VAT (Value Added Tax) in effect at time of issuance. All rates are subject to increase due to an increase of our costs, including but not limited to: land services, taxes, fuel cost, and currency fluctuations. All rates are confirmed at final payment. Fares and schedules are subject to change and are not guaranteed until ticketed.

Payment.
We accept American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover Card. Should you cancel your order and be entitled to a refund under these Terms (see below), please note all refunds will be charged a fee of 3%.

Instructions, Changes, Cancellations and Refunds.

Guided Tours:

Instructions:

A voucher will be emailed to you upon confirmation specifying the details regarding the meeting point and time as well as contact information of the supplier providing the tour. Proof of identification may be required in order to obtain entrance to museums, churches and other sites. The Vatican Museum and Sistine chapels and other churches reserve the right to deny entrance to any individual not adhering to their entrance rules and restrictions, including but not limited to conformance to its dress code.

Changes:

$50 for any change from time of booking to 7 days prior to date of service.

No change allowed 6 days or less prior to date of service.

Cancellation and Refunds:

25% per person cancellation fee from time of booking to 8 days prior to date of service.

NO REFUND on cancellations received 7 days or less prior to date of service

NO REFUND on a no-show.

NO REFUND on any unused service.

Entrance fees are non-refundable.

Food and Wine Service:

Instructions:

A voucher will be emailed to you upon confirmation specifying the details regarding the meeting point and time as well as contact information of the supplier providing the food and wine service.

Changes:

$50 for any change from time of booking to 7 days prior to date of service.

No change allowed 6 days or less prior to date of service.

Cancellation and Refunds:

$75 per person cancellation fee from time of booking to 8 days prior to date of cooking class for classes in Rome.

25% per person cancellation fee from time of booking to 8 days prior to date of service other than cooking classes in Rome.

NO REFUND on cancellations received 7 days or less prior to date of service.

NO REFUND on a no-show.

NO REFUND on any unused service.

Entrance fees are non-refundable.

Escorted Tours

Cancellation and Refunds:

$100 per person cancellation fee from time of booking to 61 days prior to departure

From 60 to 31 days before departure: 20% of booking or minimum $200 per person.

From 30 to 8 days before departure: 50% of booking or minimum $300 per person.

NO REFUND on cancellations received 7 days or less before departure date and NO REFUND on a no show.

NO REFUND on a no-show.

NO REFUND on any unused portion of the trip. AIR & LAND Packages are based on NON REFUNDABLE air fares.

Museum Tickets:

Instructions:

A voucher will be emailed to you upon confirmation specifying the details regarding the museum entrance time as well as contact information of the supplier providing the tickets. Proof of identification may be required in order to obtain entrance to museums, churches and other sites. The Vatican Museum and Sistine chapels and other churches reserve the right to deny entrance to any individual not adhering to their entrance rules and restrictions, including but not limited to conformance to its dress code.

Changes:

If change is allowable the fees will be based on the museum’s prices at the time the change request is processed. You will be responsible for any difference in price between your original voucher date/time and the rescheduled date/time.

Cancellation and Refunds:

Once museum tickets have been reserved, these pre-paid tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.

NO REFUND on a no-show.

NO REFUND on any unused service.

NO REFUND if you fail to present a hard copy of your voucher and/or if you fail to meet the scheduled time and/or date of entrance.

Private Transfers and Private Drivers

Instructions:

A voucher will be emailed to you upon confirmation specifying the details regarding the private transfer or private driver service. The voucher will specify the time and pick up location as well as contact information of the supplier providing the service.

Changes:

$50 for any change from time of booking to 7 days prior to date of service.

No change allowed 6 days or less prior to date of service.

Cancellation and Refunds:

25% per person cancellation fee from time of booking to 8 days prior to date of service.

NO REFUND on cancellations received 7 days or less prior to date of service.

NO REFUND on a no-show.

NO REFUND on any unused service.

Rail Tickets.

Instructions:

Hello Italy Tours is a Trenitalia licensed Tour Operator. Hello Italy Tours cannot guarantee any particular seat on a train as all seating assignments are made by Trenitalia. An electronic ticket (in pdf) specifying train details will be emailed to you upon confirmation. Regionale/regionale veloce train tickets do not have seat assignments and they can be utilized up to 4 hours prior to departure of the time printed on the ticket with the exception of trains to/from Fiumicino Airport. Their validity is 90 minutes from the time printed on the tickets

Changes:

Once rail tickets are issued, any changes allowed are subject to a 25% fee, and the issued tickets must be received by Hello Italy Tours at least 5 business days prior to train departure date in order to process the change request.

No changes allowed within 5 days prior to train departure date.

No changes allowed on discounted or special promotion tickets.

No changes allowed on Regionale/Regionale Veloce trains.

Cancellation and Refunds:

25% per ticket cancellation fee if applicable, and the issued tickets must be received by Hello Italy Tours at least 5 business days prior to train departure date.

NO REFUND on discounted or special promotion tickets.

NO REFUND on any ticket issued with a value equal to or less than $15.00 will be given.

Regional train refunds requested due to the above reasons must be submitted to a Trenitalia ticket office within 24 hours by the customer while in Italy or the refund will not be valid.

Trenitalia’s procedures are very strict and requests may be denied. Hello Italy Tours cannot be held responsible for the outcome received by Trenitalia.

PLEASE NOTE: Hello Italy Tours acts only as a booking agent and is not responsible or liable for any loss, damage, death, injury, delay, inconvenience or irregularity caused by any vehicle defect or through the negligence, misconduct, strikes or other acts, defaults of omissions of any carrier. All bookings are subject to the conditions, tariffs and regulations imposed by the rail company.

Tour Cancellation.Hello Italy Tours reserves the right to cancel or reschedule any trip due to operating requirements, and is not responsible for any other travel arrangements affected due to the cancellations. In such case, the operators’ sole responsibility is to provide a refund without any other liability whatsoever. Hello Italy Tours is not responsible for cancellation penalties imposed by airlines or other transportation carriers.

Baggage Allowance For Escorted Tours.
Porterage is not included in any of the tour programs unless specifically stated. If a tour program provides for porterage, it is restricted to one suitcase only. Due to limited coach capacity, this single bag should have dimensions not exceeding 30″X18″X10″ and weight not exceeding 60 lbs. (27 kg). An additional fee will be charged per traveling day if a second piece of baggage is carried, or if the suitcase exceeds the established weight and/or dimensions. A personal travel bag not exceeding 17″x14″x8″, which should be taken care of by the owner at all times, is permitted. We are not responsible for loss of or damage to baggage or any of the your belongings. International air carriers may also impose fees or require you to remove articles and put them in another bag if weight or size limits on checked or carry-on luggage is exceeded. Baggage insurance is recommended.

Insurance.Health, accident, luggage and trip cancellation interruption insurance is strongly recommended and available through MH Ross, which is linked to through the Website. Insurance premiums are non-refundable.

Passport/Visa.United States citizens are only required to hold a valid passport when traveling to Italy. Non-citizens may have other requirements, and if you are not a US citizen you should check with the embassy or consulate to find out what, if any, visa requirements you will need to comply with.

Hello Italy Tours Responsibility.The responsibility of Hello Italy Tours as the tour operator and/or its agents is limited. We act solely as your agents in regard to travel, whether by aircraft, motor-coach, private car, rent car, or any other conveyance, and assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of defect through the acts of God, dangers incident to sea, fire, breakdown in machinery or equipment, acts of governments or other authorities de jury or de facto, wars (whether declared or not), hostilities, civil disturbance, strikes, theft, pilferage, epidemic, quarantines, medical regulations or customs regulations, or from any causes beyond Hello Italy Tours control, or any loss damage resulting from improper passport, visas, or others documents. The issuance of the tickets and vouchers shall be deemed to consent to these Terms. The acceptance of tickets and vouchers by the participant or by assignee(s) shall be deemed to be acceptance by such person(s) of the above Terms and acknowledgment and agreement by such person(s) that participant air carriers shall not be liable for any portions of the tour other than air transportation. The passenger’s ticket constitutes the sole contract between the purchaser and/or passenger of these tickets and the airline or transportation companies. Hello Italy Tours assume no responsibility in this connection.

Disclaimer of Warranties.
Hello italy tours makes no representations or warranties about the website, the suitability of the information contained on or received through the website, or any services or products received through the website. All information and use of the website is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, including all express, implied, or statutory warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the contents or any information received through the website are accurate, reliable or correct; that the website will be available at any particular time or location; that any defects or errors will be corrected; or that the contents or any information received through the website are free of viruses or other destructive or harmful components. Your use of the website is solely at your own risk. You expressly agree that you have relied on no warranties, representations, or statements other than in this agreement. Because some jurisdictions do not permit the exclusion of certain warranties, the exclusions may not apply to you but shall apply to the maximum extent permitted by the laws of your jurisdiction

Limitation on Liability.
In no event shall we be liable to you or any third party for any damages, including without limitation indirect, consequential, exemplary, incidental, special or punitive damages arising from your use of the website or service, even if we have been advised in advance of the possibility of such damages.

Indemnification.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Hello Italy Tours, its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, representatives, employees and other partners, from any loss, liability, claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your use of the Website.

Disputes.
You agree that any dispute shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions, and you agree to personal jurisdiction and venue in the state and federal courts located in New York County, New York. You further agree that, regardless of any statute of limitations, you must notify Hello Italy Tours of any claim within 30 days of your completed travel or your claim will be barred as untimely.

Privacy Policy.
Your use of the Website is also governed by our Privacy Policy, available here.

Miscellaneous. These terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Hello Italy Tours regarding use of the Website and any purchases you make thereon. The failure of Hello Italy Tours to enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Use shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. Should any competent court determine that any provision of these Terms of Use are unenforceable as written, then said provision shall be deemed to have been rewritten in accordance with the law; if that is not possible, then that provision shall be deemed to have been stricken from the Terms of Use, and all other provisions remain in full force and effect. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, please stop using this Website immediately.